all the little things

It's already April and I haven't blogged very much since my birthday. Since we left the frigid heath of Illinois, our toes have thawed almost completely as well as the water lines on the camper.

We're still trying our best to sell the RV, which is a challenge in itself. I think our last resort will be eBay, where we will most likely lose our ass. Sometimes you've gotta do what you've gotta do.

Since our departure south, I finally talked my old man into a Florida trip. We visited the gulf one sunny Saturday afternoon on my birthday weekend. We visited Grayton Beach state park and then drove through Panama City. Of course we hit spring break in full force, so after a relaxing hike we headed north again for Alabama. We've enjoyed lots of local activities here including a friday night horse auction which rivaled even the best of vintage Saturday Night Live skits. We stopped by the Pike County Cattlemens Association's first annual ranch rodeo where we found wholesome entertainment in the bizarre form of "wild cow milking". Heith decided to trick the truck a few more turns by adding front and rear Ranch Hand bumpers (much to my own dismay). We visited Patsy the weekend of my birthday as well, and had a nice dinner in Greenville with the parental unit. Most of our free time we spend way down yonder on the Chattahoochee. Dolly loves to swim at the dam and scout for squirrels. Our campground is within biking distance of the local post office which makes for excellent stretch mark erasing.

My boxwood bonsai tree is enjoying the warm temperatures. We should hit 90 degrees today, with a gentle gulf breeze. All the pleasant weather has helped me finish two books in the last three weeks. I'm delving through the Lord of the Rings trilogy right now. All is not lost on the recycle front as I sold 30 ornaments last month and had one order this first week of April. I'm hoping to join the Spartanburg Junior League Santa Shoppe this year with a trove of light bulb treasures.

Hang up the hard hat...

The Mighty Task is Done

By Joseph P. Strauss, Chief Engineer
Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District

Written upon completion of the building of the Golden Gate Bridge in May 1937

At last the mighty task is done;
Resplendent in the western sun
The Bridge looms mountain high;
Its titan piers grip ocean floor,
Its great steel arms link shore with shore,
Its towers pierce the sky.

On its broad decks in rightful pride,
The world in swift parade shall ride,
Throughout all time to be;
Beneath, fleet ships from every port,
Vast landlocked bay, historic fort,
And dwarfing all--the sea.

To north, the Redwood Empire's gates;
'To south, a happy playground waits,
in Rapturous appeal;
Here nature, free since time began,
Yields to the restless moods of man,
Accepts his bonds of steel.

Launched midst a thousand hopes and fears,
Damned by a thousand hostile sneers,
Yet ne'er its course was stayed,
But ask of those who met the foe
Who stood alone when faith was low,
Ask them the price they paid.

Ask of the steel, each strut and wire,
Ask of the searching, purging fire,
That marked their natal hour;
Ask of the mind, the hand, the heart,
Ask of each single, stalwart part,
What gave it force and power.

An Honored cause and nobly fought
And that which they so bravely wrought,
Now glorifies their deed,
No selfish urge shall stain its life,
Nor envy, greed, intrigue, nor strife,
Nor false, ignoble creed.

High overhead its lights shall gleam,
Far, far below life's restless stream,
Unceasingly shall flow;
For this was spun its lithe fine form,
To fear not war, nor time, nor storm,
For Fate had meant it so.

Yates & the Gate

Everybody knows, well okay my friends and family know that I've staked claim for any future offspring to be named after my favorite great Uncle. Yates hitchhiked to California from Enoree as a fourteen year old. Well, he most likely rode at least half the journey with his cousins; however, I like to pretend it would be much more romantic to hitch hike in the late 1920's.


The end of the line was Sausalito, California. Uncle Yates got a job on the new construction of the Golden Gate Bridge connecting the San Francisco bay. We've determined that he was probably our earliest relative to ever be union (and proud) as he was an iron worker on the bridge. This photo shows Uncle Yates posing next to the cable connectors in 1936. I think one of the most ironic things about him is that his name literally means "gates"...so it seems inevitable that he'd end up constructing one of the biggest gateways in the country. Weird useless fact.

When my great Aunt Martha passed away, I knew she kept most of Yates' personal things and his photo collection. I wanted so much to see if he had any mementos of his life in California. I only dreamed I'd find a photo as spectacular as this. We have a special kinship with Uncle Yates, as he was also our only family member to be a full-time RVer. He lived most of his adult life in his camper (that he pulled with his gargantuan Cadillacs). He traveled extensively through Europe, getting married in Athens, Greece and shared a special love for the beautiful American southwest. He was a cool cat with a great sense of style,wearing his Converse sneakers even in his golden years. The last time I visited with Uncle Yates, he was staying in Laurens Memorial Home. MaMa took us to visit often and we always looked forward to seeing him. Hopefully my little homage to him will help us all remember what a interesting and unique person he was...and if there's ever a little Yates, we'll hope he decides not to hitch hike to California until he's twenty-one.

Vaya con dios

I never thought I'd write this post. Never say never. My first born, Ruthie, is now officially for sale. She's not exactly "on the market", she's just being introduced to our small circle before we break out the big guns and meet all the Chevelle owners out there who are salivating to own her.

If by chance, any of my readers are interested or have a cousin's husband's brother's nephew's Grandpa who might want to take a test drive--the photo collection is here. Serious inquiries only.

Snow Husbandry

Leaving Illinois for the weekend in order to escape the frigid temperatures, brutal winds, and drifts of snow turned out to be a huge mistake.
After the grueling drive home (with an inconvenient detour through North Carolina) we finally saw South Carolina soil, topped with white icing.
It's now a proven fact that wherever we go we carry our extreme weather karma along with us. Remember that heavy snow in Joshua Tree National Park two winters ago? We can take credit for that one. The biggest snow in thirty years...the day we drove into town.

So I spent a quiet, snowy Valentines weekend with MaMa, Mom, Patsy and the "kids"...and waiting for me on the Illinois line when I got home? Snow.

New Stuff

I live behind. Way behind everyone else. Being behind means that you find out about really cool stuff long after it's been over being cool for everyone else. We only get two channels on our TV and one of those is University of Illinois PBS. Thank goodness for Austin City Limits, because I'm now the newest fan of Arcade Fire.


This group defines cool. And by the way, apparently "cool" isn't the coolest way to define cool. Sweet is the new cool. I stand by my old timer ways and refer to my favorite things as boss and bitchin'. Call me what you will. Arcade Fire is a bitchin' Canadian Indie rock group of multi-talented musicians led by the uber-brilliant husband / wife duo of Win Butler & Régine Chassagne. Real talent and real women...no bones here ladies.

PBS kept me company for New Year's as well. I spent the evening with the New York Philharmonic live at the Lincoln Center while my old man finished reading Lonely Pigeon or Dove or whatever.
So I guess it's official, I am no longer anywhere close to being "cool" myself. Bring me that rocking chair.

Split End of the Year

I've been staring at this white screen through a tangled mass of hair for the last fifteen minutes. This seems to be a recurring habit of mine, picking my split ends by the computer screen light. I think I do this while I'm pondering titles and I usually can't come up with one until I've finished an entire post.

I hate writing the same old shit. The same old shit everyone else writes "Oh, where has the year gone? Time flies by so fast...blah blah blah". We know this. I'm reminded every day as I pass my wedding portrait in the hall (okay, so it's not a hall it's a ledge). So time flies by too frickin fast. Okay.

Enough about my weirdness. Where did 2009 take me, my old man and my dog?

Our New Year celebration began with our old friends in Georgia, who we regret we won't see for this coming year's soiree. We were so happy to be able to finally spend a New Year's with people. Real people and noisemakers and hats and hors d'oeuvres. It was my first real New Year's party and I'll never forget it!
We spent January through August parked on Saint Helena Island in South Carolina. This of course accumulated many rodents, creatures, and cobwebs that I was very happy to be rid of by the time we hooked up again. Shaking off the sand, our coach headed north to Virginia where we stopped off for a couple of months before our journey to New England and my favorite stop of the year, Connecticut. I fell in love with this state and the entire area, and I didn't think I could love anywhere as much as I do Saint Helena. I find myself homesick for hardwood forests, owls, and acorns quite often.
We left Connecticut in early November and drove to Kentucky for one week, there we packed once more for our final destination of the year...Illinois. Yes, I dreaded even typing the name. However, this "end" of the state seems to be somewhat milder (in climate and attitude) than Chicago. We're on the outskirts of St. Louis in a big cornfield beside a dairy. The wind blows, it rains. The wind blows, it rains. And I dream of a house, a big warm brick house with shutters and a fire place. A big leather sofa and a blanket...warm socks and--sorry, where was I?

I'm daydreaming again, but that's bound to happen when you live in a "Day Dreamer" which is still for sale by the way.

This year opened some new doors for me. I'm so thankful for my extremely teeny tiny success on etsy and all the Christmas trees across America that proudly displayed my handiwork. I hope that 2010 brings more business and some new ventures, as I'm sure it will.

If our Lord feels we are deserving in this new year, I hope to be typing to you next December from a cozy den beside a crackling fire inside four brick walls...with no wheels underneath.

Happy New Year to you all!

Happy Christmas Kids!

Don't forget Monday is the last day to enter The Enchanted Owl giveaway! Winner will be announced on Tuesday, December 15. Many thanks to everyone who has entered, I can't wait to announce our lucky winner!

Traditional Disaster

Last year, my border collie (the Donk) ate all of my turkey before it was even cooked. I came home to find her and the bird lying on the floor in a pool of turkey juice.
I ran to the post office this morning after finishing up a pretty large order of ornaments (something to be thankful for) and when I walked in the door...two loaves of bread opened and already half eaten. She was hiding under the kitchen table.
I don' get it. The bread stays out all the time, and she's never touched it. Today she found some wild hankering for loaf bread and hamburger buns, so she made it her business to tear into the plastic. Keep in mind that she had to put her paws up on the counter, lean up to the toaster and grab the bags with her teeth (this is all how I imagined it went down).
The good news, she ignored the fresh pound cake that was cooling on the counter beside the bread. I guess she didn't want pound cake, but she got a hefty spank anyway.

I baked my first pound cake today for my small and lonesome Thanksgiving fest tomorrow. The old man, Donk and myself will celebrate in the camper with the wind howling all around us. We have all of the appropriate trimmings, and now a fresh citrus pound cake for dessert!

P.S. Friends, stop by and visit my newest follower on her blog "Heartsong"!

How much is that...

...puppy? Oh, I've done a bad, bad thing--my sis-in-law made the mistake of mentioning to me that she and her old man are thinking of getting a dog. Well, I'm going to be a little sneaky and try to sway her in the ways of border collie. Take a look at my favorite K9 friends whose border blood runs true. How can anyone resist? (We've already established the fact that I'm completely biased for border collies, so just bare with me if this isn't a favorite breed for some readers.)

Ching Ching

Pats & Donk snuggle

Patsy - "Goat Girl"

Jessie & Slim share a laugh

Jess

Donk's classic pose

More naps...

Slimmer

Maxster

Dolly loves you!

My favorite Vets

Happy Veterans day! Two boys we miss every day, Captain H.C. and Corporal H.L.. It's odd knowing that they are both almost five years younger in these photos than I am today.
Good looking guys. Proof that large honkers will always be in style!

Go Wolves!

My latest creation for my little Wolverine. Well, he's not little...he's actually far from little. But he's still "little" C.J. to me. The Wolves are clawing a path all the way to State this year, so in honor of his team's success, I found the inspiration for my newest ornament. Happy early Christmas!!

Home stretch...

The Wolves did it again! CJ and his mates are on schedule to play Crescent in the upcoming South Carolina 2A state high school football playoffs.
What a great send off for his senior year...if they claim their upper state championship, they will head to Williams Brice stadium on December 5 for a chance at the coveted state title.
They haven't lost a game yet--and it seems like yesterday we were sitting in the stands watching the Wolves crush Clinton.
Stay tuned, this Friday I'll post an update on the score and if I'm making a trip to Columbia next month.
We're rooting for you CJ & friends!!

First off...

I worked a few extra hours today to finish up a custom ornament for my sister-in-law. Here's her finished product, known as the "newlywed lovebirds":Check out the shop for more photos. I'm open to any ideas & custom designs--the holidays are almost here!!

To queue...

Let's talk about Mickey Rourke. No, not his facial scarring or his heinous plastic surgeries. Let's talk bod. Hot bod. Top shelf bod. That's right, Rourke pulled out all the stops in his latest Oscar worthy film, The Wrestler.
This review is primarily for my younger brother. When I queued this movie, I wasn't sold. I usually wait until mainstream flicks hit the backburner before I try them myself. Still, I thought it couldn't hurt to give it a try.
I'm hoping that after he reads this (if he hasn't already seen it) he'll check it out.
Gone are the days of sitting in the den watching WWF and WCW...drooling over Shawn "Boy Toy" Michaels or crying over the death of Owen Hart. He had the figurines, the Nintendo games, everything a wrestling fan would need. His favorite wrestler was the Undertaker...mine too. We loved the moment when the entire coliseum would pause as he flung back his sweat drenched hair to face his opponent. We were too young for the Hulk, but we still showed him love.
All those cheesy faux fight memories came back as soon as the movie began.

The Wrestler follows Randy, "the Ram" as he struggles to live day to day in his post wrestling fame. The film gives a documentary feel at times, others it is simply raw and in your face--so much like the wrestler himself. Trying to control myself after realizing Rourke's age coupled with his amazing body, I did find myself enjoying this film and relating to the characters. He fiercely battles with his feelings of nostalgia and longing for his time in the spotlight. I found that Randy and I share the same lost love for hair bands, as he seems to be the only dork in the bar singing along with Ratt's Round and Round...something only I would do.
Of course it's packaged with the usual cliches, but overall it was a pretty real flick. Most anyone who has had their "hey day" in some form or other (even old, broken down bareback riders) will instantly connect with Randy.

Mugshot of the Day

Meet the man behind most of Herbert's John Deere discord. About a month ago, Herbert suffered grand theft tractor for the second time. It took the county a few weeks to follow the tire tracks to this man. We'll call him Mr. Ledford. Hopefully, now that this culprit is in the big house, all tractors across the land will be safe to slumber in their fields after a hard day's work.

1997 - 2002 - 2009

There's the two kids...dweebs, dorks, geeks, nerds, acne infested adolescents who have morphed over these long twelve years into something a little dorkier, nerdier, dweebier while losing a little acne along the way (but not without keeping a few scars). My dorky ass has been involved with this guy for quite some time. In 1997 I thought he had a cute butt. In 2002, I thought he still had a cute butt, this time in a tuxedo. The rest is still making history. And in case there's any confusion, the photo is a frightening reminder of just how dorky we began...May 1997.

Cheers to my old man for seven years today.

On the Hudson

Sunnyside - Home of Washington Irving

Our latest junket led us to the village of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow, New York. I wanted to visit my Great Grandmother's last dwellings. So much has changed since my last trip in 1995. The downtown has developed into a quaint shopping and dining experience with dozens of antique shops littering the sidewalks. As I drove down to the Hudson river, I noticed a sign for Franklin Courts. It was literally a lightbulb moment, I remembered the name as if I had just written it down yesterday on a Christmas card mailed to my Great Grandmother. I just happened to pass her old apartment complex as we strolled the winding streets of Tarrytown. All of my memories from my eighth-grade trip came back in a flash...visiting the gates of the old Sing Sing prison, the Sleepy Hollow cemetery, the park down by the Hudson, the corner deli, the train trip up from the city, Uncle Stubby taking us to see the bridge of the headless horseman, and my first visit to Sunnyside. My favorite venue (excluding FAO Schwartz) since I was a big fan of Ichabod Crane & Rip Van Winkle.

I had such a fun time at Sunnyside, I decided to take the tour as well. I visited the grounds and enjoyed a perfectly lovely day in the abnormally warm October sunshine. Being all grown up, I paid more attention to my friendly tour guide where I learned that Irving almost hooked up with Mary Shelley! They would've made such a fabulous couple.

The drive home wasn't so pleasant as I faced New York City commuter traffic. It was my own stupidity, dilly-dallying around until the early afternoon on a weekday...thirty minutes outside the city. So needless to say the I-95 trip tacked on an extra hour of sitting still in places like New Haven and Stamford. Finally, with stomach grumbling I found my way to a little seafood house near Niantic. I was ecstatic to try my very first fresh lobster, and there's no better place in southeastern Connecticut than Flander's Fish Market & Restaurant.
The lobster bisque was truly divine and the lobster...heavenly. I'm thankful that I waited to try this until I came to New England!
I'll certainly be back to visit Flanders...New York, I'm not so sure. Our next trip will certainly be by Long Island ferry and train, the Hee-Haw diesel is not cut out for swarming traffic and itty bitty village streets.

Magical Creatures Ornament Collection 2009

I've finally finished my magical creatures ornament collection. I started on this idea after visiting etsy. My search for something inexpensive led me to this fantastic homemade creation that I decided to use for my annual Christmas gift/ornament. Last year I painted sand dollars that we found on Hunting Island for the kids. This holiday season I fell in love with this whimsical light bulb contraption, tinkering with the design to fit my liking.
I've continued this tradition since the kids were almost a year old, so hopefully they'll all have a pretty hefty collection to take with them when they make their own families. (The kids by the way are my younger cousins.)
My design idea came from, oddly enough, Harry Potter. I decided to paint each child a different magical creature. A seahorse, owl, toad, dragonfly and gecko (still working on the last).
All comments and feedback are welcome. I don't usually show any artwork on my blog, but in this case I'll risk it.
The owl, of course, is my personal favorite.

Vintage State